Lately, we've all felt pretty frustrated over the actions of Congress. Powerless even. But there are things in life that we have power over, and this diary is about my own personal efforts to thwart climate change. I'll show some of the things I've been doing to reduce my carbon footprint, specifically as it relates to the energy efficiency of my home and my own personal energy use.
Since 1998, I've been the proud owner of a small, 1930's bungalow. Located in a neighborhood close to downtown Nashville, it's needed a lot of work and upkeep, but it's been worth every penny. Purchased before the housing bubble, I moved in just 6 weeks before a tornado hit. It was devastating, but in the long term has led to the revitalization of a great area of town. The blessings have been mixed, bringing new businesses, but higher taxes; a lower crime rate, but also far less diversity.
But I'm now settled enough, with enough money, to really get serious about trying to be as green as possible. Some of these things are cheap and easy to do, others not so much. It's too soon to tell what the savings will be. Right now, I pay $85/month for electricity and $45/month for gas, so I really don't have much room for savings. Follow me below the fold.
When I moved into my house in 1998, I had three huge hackberry trees which shaded the entire house. Just as they started to bud, a tornado straifed the whole east side, and I lost two of them. Since my house had 29 windows at the time, I really had to do something, even though I was just about broke from my recent housing purchase. With a combination of the insurance settlement and the government disaster loan, I was able to not only fix the damage but also purchase 29 storm windows with low-e glass, as well as two glass storm doors with changeable screen inserts. I also added insulation to the attic and knee wall areas of the house. Oh, and when I moved in, my big splurge was a front-loading washer, which was a very new thing back then.
Months after the tornado, a 5-year program called ReLeaf Nashville was begun to replace the tree canopy that was lost in parts of West and East Nashville. I was heavily involved with this, as I had gotten a part time job with a landscape architectural firm which was instrumental in getting this going. As a result I replanted one tree in my yard and two in my neighbor's yard. In addition, I got a good deal on a 4-inch-caliper lacebark elm tree for the southwest side of the house. So, the big trees are replaced, although it will still be years until they match the size of the ones I lost.
Sometime after that, my HVAC unit decided to give up the ghost, and I replaced it with the most efficient HVAC unit I could afford. I also bought a programmable thermostat, which has been quite a godsend.
Next, in the last few years, Nashville started curbside recycling. They now accept paper, plastic, and metal, but no glass. But I live only a few miles away from a major waste center which takes all recycling as well as hazardous materials, so I save up my wine bottles, batteries, and paint and make several trips a year there.
The next improvement came a couple of years ago when I decided to redo my kitchen down to the studs. At the time, I didn't really know enough to look into spray foam insulation, but it was quite apparent that there wasn't a stitch of insulation in the walls of the entire house. In addition to removing three windows, it was a natural to insulate before the drywall, and it was the simplest and cheapest part of the renovation because I did it all myself. With some cheap clothes from the local Goodwill, a mask, gloves, and a cheap serrated knife, I was set to go. Two days and $50 of insulation materials, and the kitchen is now the most comfortable room in the entire house.
While I was in the middle of the kitchen redo, one of my attic fans decided to die and I found this solar attic fan. The company that services my HVAC had a great deal on these, and the best part is that it costs nothing to run! According to the energy audit, I probably shouldn't even be using attic fans, but the roofing people say otherwise.
Yes, I did the CFL thing. I hate CFLs. I hate the light they crank out, and I have some dimmable fixtures where they can't be used. But it's one of the simplest things I can do to reduce my carbon footprint, so over time I have dutifully replaced 17 of my most commonly used bulbs with CFLs, as well as replacing my famous porch lights with LEDs. I don't like that light either. Oh well, I'd better get used to it.
Now for the good part (complete with gratuitous pootie pix)! With the new tax credits for becoming energy efficient, I used a small windfall to make some major insulation upgrades to my house. There are still a couple of phases to go, as money permits, but the major work is done. I'm also eligible for a grant from TVA for up to $500 dollars to help with the costs. Your local electric utility should have some information about programs available in your area. The company which did the work here is E3 Innovate, a relatively new company. I was really impressed with their work.
First came the radiant barrier in the attic and knee wall areas. It's really helped keep the upstairs much cooler.
Next was the vapor barrier in the basement. Prior to this, I had a dirt basement, which is not uncommon here, especially in houses of this era. With the vapor barrier and sealing of the crawl space, the basement is almost a really nice place to be. At least I won't mind spending time down there during the next tornado warning. There's even a good place for my new freezer. Unfortunately, it's not EnergyStar rated, as it was too small, but it's what fit down the stairs. Now I can cook one large batch of food, and freeze the rest.
Here is the spray foam insulation and sealing of crawl space.
There is one thing to be aware of. A few days after the spray foam was installed, my cat Cinnamon became hoarse. She and her sister Pepper are 13 years old, so I was understandably worried. But since it was time for the annual trip to the vet, I fetched her up post-haste to go to the dreaded doctor. He didn't seem to find anything wrong, pending the results of the blood tests, but we both seemed to think that it was probably just the off-gassing of the foam. It really smelled awful! Cinnamon has since recovered her voice, while Pepper enjoys hanging out in the now much cooler upstairs. (They are color-coded for easy reference...)
One last thing - my bicycle baskets from Wald. These baskets are great! Of course, they perfectly fit the reusable grocery bags which I use when I bike to the local grocery store.
Some other small things I've done recently - I now put my brewed coffee in a thermos in the morning instead of keeping the coffeepot on. Appliances that generate heat use a lot of energy! Also, I recently was away for a week, and I turned my hot water heater off. Like I said earlier, it's still really too soon to see results in my bills, but I have noticed that with all the changes I've made recently, I can now cool my house to a reasonable temperature, 76 degrees. I could even go lower, but I can live with that. My house used to never get cooler than 79 in the summer on hot days.
Of course I still waste energy, and I know it. I will admit to having a DVR as part of my satellite system, and I still ride my motorcycle purely for FUN sometimes. However, I think my car-pooling, buying of Green Energy and other efficiencies more than make up for these little splurges. Every day I look for new ways to be even greener, as I can afford it. I'm going to a rain barrel workshop this weekend, and eventually I will retrofit spray foam into the studs of the outer walls of the house. That will be a big, nasty, expensive job, but the company doing the work above really advised doing the other stuff first. I'm just doing what I can, and I sure sleep better at night knowing I'm doing my part, one step at a time.